Moana's Legacy
by livin-in-my-head
Summary: When a dying Moana asks her granddaughter to find Maui so he can say goodbye to her, the young girl does not feel up to the task. But try she does, as she embarks on her first solo sea mission to find the demigod her grandmother wishes to see one last time.
1. Chapter 1

Makani knelt over her gramma, tears filling her eyes. She wanted to pull back, so they wouldn't stain the old woman's dry cheeks, but she could not move. The tears fell, splashing against Gramma's skin. And only then did she open her eyes.

Makani felt arrested by the dark brown, empty. As if all she held was open for Gramma to see. But if there was anyone she would trust her heart with, it would be her gramma.

"You woke me," Gramma whispered shakily, smiling gently up at her granddaughter.

"I'm sorry," Makani whispered, the words barely forcing their way from her throat. She wiped hastily at her eyes, the strange spell holding her in place broken.

"It's okay to cry. It's okay to be sad." Gramma smiled again, even fainter, and raised a trembling hand to take Makani's. "I was, when my gramma died."

There was that word. The word the healers were using. _Dying. Died. Death. Dead_. "Don't use that word," Makani hissed. "I _hate_ that word!" Suddenly, she wasn't sad anymore. She was furious. Furious at the world, for taking away something so dear to her. Furious at herself, for not being able to do something, anything to help her gramma. Even furious at her gramma, for growing old and by doing so, returning to the earth.

But she wasn't gone yet. Her brave, strong grammawas holding out.

"It is not a bad word. It is a sad word, yes, but people are too harsh to it," Gramma said. She spoke as if the word was a person, and Makani felt bad for her hostile feelings toward it. That was the effect that Gramma had on people - twisting their reality and making them see their actions clearly, if from a different perspective than was expected.

As Makani pondered this, Gramma tugged at her hand slightly and then released it, as if she had used up the last of her energy in the action. "I have told you a lot of stories, Makani, about my travels, but there is one I have not told you."

This snapped Makani out of her thoughts. Gramma loved nothing more than sharing stories with anyone who would listen, and as she had had such a fantastic, adventurous life, there was always someone to listen.

"I didn't even tell my parents this story," Gramma said confidentially. "At least, not the whole thing."

Makani felt her anticipation rising. Her great-grandmother had died when she was seven, but she still remembered how close she and Gramma had been. Apparently, it had been that way with her father as well. So what was so important that Gramma wouldn't even have told her parents? And why did Makani get to hear it now?

Gramma took a shuddering breath. " _Water_ ," she hissed on her exhale, and Makani grabbed the pitcher from her side to refill her cup. Once the old woman had drank what she needed, she sighed and leaned back. "Now, I can begin the tale," she murmured, sounding stronger than she had for days.

"Child, you have heard the stories of the gods? Of how our islands came into being? You have heard of the stories of our people - of me?"

"Of course, Gramma." Makani loved the stories, because she knew they were true. Her Gramma herself had taken Makani to see the sleeping form of Te Fiti. It had been a truly awe-inspiring trip.

"I speak of the story of Te Fiti's heart."

"The one where it was stolen by the demigod?"

"The demigod has a name, Makani." Her gramma's eyes closed momentarily and she sighed through smiling lips. "Maui."

"I know, Gramma." Makani balled her hands into fists on her lap to hide her impatience, but when her gramma's gaze flicked down, Makani knew that it was foolish to try to fool her. Even on the brink of death, Gramma saw everything Makani tried to hide.

"Maui stole Te Fiti's heart right out of her sleeping form, and in doing so, cursed the world to a very slow, ancient, powerful curse. Now, you know my story." This was not a question. Everyone on all of the islands knew of Gramma and her bravery.

"Yes! You were chosen by the ocean and given Te Fiti's heart, which it had been keeping safe, waiting for you. You snuck off of your island, with the help of your gramma and mother, and managed to evade evil until you made it to Te Fiti and restored her heart." Makani said it as if rehearsing lines. She knew the story inside-out, being the granddaughter of its protagonist. It was the reason Gramma had been allowed to establish colonies in other islands, given help and islanders by her father. In doing so, she had brought prosperity to her people that had not been seen in centuries.

"That is not the story," Gramma said, closing her eyes. This time, she was not smiling - she had a slightly pained look on her face.

Makani felt the words in the pit of her stomach. "Wh...what?" _Please have heard wrong. Please have said wrong. Please just be a senile old woman_.

"That is not the story," Gramma said again, the words gaining strength. "The real story is much more dangerous, and much more exciting. But it involves someone who wished to remain hidden."

"Who, Gramma?" Makani no longer felt scared. Gramma _had_ been brave and adventurous, even more so than she had said. And noble, too, if the identity of this figure had remained so well hidden.

"Maui," her grandmother breathed, and Makani once again felt the words in the pit of her stomach. Her gramma forged onward.

"I was chosen by the ocean to find Maui, and make him help me return the heart. After my ship crashed, I found him on a barren island. I finally got him to help me...mostly just by refusing to leave him alone. To make a long story short, for I feel myself tiring, we were able to make it to Te Fiti's island. She had turned into a monster, and nearly killed us both. Maui's fabled fishhook was destroyed before I realized the monster was the heartless goddess. I talked her into coming to me and not killing me by using her heart as a lure, and I replaced it. Once she had returned to normal, she gave Maui a new fishhook, and gave me a new boat - mine had been destroyed."

"But...Maui hasn't been heard of in centuries. Why would he want to stay hidden?" Makani asked, desperately trying to align the two versions of the stories that she had now heard.

"At first, that was the only reason he was doing it. He thought he lived to be loved by the humans. But by the end of our little quest, he had made a much braver decision. Instead of living like a god with our people, never really having to do much work, Maui left this part of the ocean to travel the world and help other humans. He stayed for about a year before he started his journey."

Makani blinked rapidly, the factualness of her gramma's voice confirming the story. Her gramma was humorous, but rarely joked about what she considered serious matters. "Gramma," she started gently, "have you - "

"Heard from him since? Yes, I have. He visits me regularly, in all sorts of forms, of course. He is a shapeshifter, after all." Gramma laughed slightly, but it was more of an affectionate laugh rather than a humorous one. "Oh, Moana and Maui. Those were the days."

Makani smiled down at her gramma and stroked the hair from her forehead. "Thank you for telling me. I loved the story."

"Oh, you think I was telling you just to amuse you?" Gramma coughed, waving a hand at Makani's protests. "Typical youth. No, no, you need to _find_ Maui, of course."

Makani found she could no longer control her blinking. " _What_?"

"Find Maui," her gramma repeated as if she was slow. "Find Maui."

"Why, Gramma?"

"Because the only reason I'm still alive right now is because I want to speak with him."

"You...want me to find Maui...so he can say goodbye to you?"

"I know he can sense how I am. He is a demigod, after all, and he does have a few, small powers outside of that huge fishhook. Usually, he knows when I'm sick, and he comes to give support. But he doesn't come when I'm dying? I want you to go find him so I can have a good yell at him." Gramma grinned and patted Makani's knee. "Please, dear. I know I can trust you."

"How long do the healers say you have?" Makani asked after a beat of silence.

"I may seem on the brink of death, but if I do everything they say, I have a good two weeks."

Makani steepled her fingertips together and took a deep breath. "So I have two weeks to find a demigod who may or may not be in this part of the ocean and bring him back to you to say goodbye?"

"You're a smart one, all right." Gramma smiled and drifted into slumber.

Makani stayed there, knelt by her side, for a few more minutes before raising painfully to her feet. Wincing at her aching knees, she pushed her way out of the dark tent (Gramma refused to stay in one of the huts) and into the bright, tropical day outside.

She had two weeks, starting now, to find a demigod who she had only learned was connected to her Gramma mere minutes ago.

Makani moaned and clapped a hand to her forehead.


	2. Chapter 2

Makani hastily stuffed the supplies into the compartment of the Fijian camakau, glancing nervously over her shoulder as she did so. If she was seen by one of the men who regularly used these boats to fish or checked to see if they needed repairs, surely she would be reported to her uncle, the chieftain, and her journey would be over before it had even began.

The world was much different than it had been when her grandmother had snuck off of her island in her teens. Now, Makani's people traveled freely, and while a safe return home was always celebrated, the village was used to life on the sea. Makani herself had visited several nearby islands who shared distant blood ties to her people. But that had been years ago, and Makani had not been the one working the boats. She took solace in the fact that when her grandmother had set off on her grand journey, much more was on her shoulders, and she hadn't known how to work a boat either.

Luckily, the Fijian camakau was supposed to be a relatively simple boat to operate, and it was the perfect size for Makani. Her gramma had taken this style boat while replacing Te Fiti's heart - it would surely do for Makani's quest.

Makani scurried around to the side of the boat that was facing away from her village and dropped to her belly. The hot sand scorched her exposed skin and she moved closer to the sand wet from the gently lapping waves. Then she pulled out the map she had packed, so she could read it without being seen.

She and her gramma, once she had awoken, had decided on a winding path that would end at the sleeping form of Te Fiti. First, she would visit several majorly populated islands to see if Moanu was assisting any of their villages. If he wasn't there, she would visit the goddess's island and, if he wasn't there either, she would pray for him to visit her gramma and return home. It was a simple plan with a simple solution if the quest wasn't fulfilled. Makani was glad that her gramma didn't hold expectations insanely high for her - after all, she was only fourteen - just because she herself had saved the world at sixteen years old.

Makani repacked the map and poked her head over the boat to look around. The beach was clear of people, and she could see nothing moving anywhere nearby except for a preening bird in a coconut tree, which was ignoring her. She returned the favor and tried to find the courage to climb aboard the boat.

 _I can do this. I can do this. I can do this_ , she chanted over and over. Her heart was beating so quickly, she was afraid she would collapse, and she hadn't even boarded her boat yet. She imagined her gramma, sneaking off of her island to go face terrors that Makani could never even dream of. All she was doing was trying to find one god in this corner of the ocean, and if she didn't succeed, she could return home and be with her gramma when she died. Life would go on as normal.

With those reassuring words playing in her head, Makani took a deep breath and jumped aboard the boat.

Then she sat for a second, cursing her stupidity, and climbed off of the boat to push it into the water.

Once in the water, the wind picked up the sail and all she had to do was steer a straight course for the open water of the ocean outside of the gulf of her island. It was slightly harder than she had expected, but still was by no means impossible.

Suddenly, she heard a shout and twisted around to see a man waving at her from the shore. Very faintly, she heard her name over the spray of the waves.

"Ask Gramma!" she screamed at the top of her lungs and turned back around, eyes burning. For if the man was who she thought it was, her father was begging her to come home.

She was homesick and she wasn't even out of the gulf yet. This did not bode well for her journey.

But before she knew it, she was out of the gulf and sailing in open water. A small part of her hurting lessened, as she felt the spray of the waves on her face and felt the gentle bobbing of her boat. "I'll call you," she whispered to the planks, "Moana."

 _Moana_ was a good boat, in Makani's eyes. She was sturdy and fast - although Makani had no idea if she was exceptionally fast because of her limited boating experience.

While originally, Makani had had a large sense of adventure and purpose, after the first hour or so of sailing, she was dreadfully bored. There was nothing to do on the boat besides steering, and while the wind was at her back now, there was no telling what kind of weather the future would hold. So Makani sat, barely focusing on steering, her map held open with her free hand and fear niggling at the back of her mind. It was not a pleasant way to travel.

It felt like hours had passed, but Makani knew that her time perception could have changed due to her boredom. She took note of the sun's position in the sky and thought about what her gramma had told her. _If it falls dark before you reach the first island, follow the brightest star in the sky. The island is located right underneath it._

They had also strategically planned her journey so that the voyage from island to island took a day or less each time. That way, she wouldn't have to sleep on the boat and worry about drifting off course, and if the wind favored her, she could move quickly from island to island, restocking her supplies and getting the rest she needed to continue.

Makani wished she didn't have to make quite so many stops, but she reminded herself that the purpose of her quest was to locate Maui and bring him home, and it would be cruel irony if the island she decided to exclude from her path turned out to be the one holding the demigod. So Makani knew she would stick loyally to the plan.

It was for her gramma. All of this was for Gramma.


	3. Chapter 3

The first stop on Makani's map was a small island with, when last checked, a population of roughly 200 islanders. Their main source of food was fish and coconuts, so Makani wouldn't have to face any new diets while stopping there. Their main construction material was wood reinforced with stone, which was different than Makani's island. The thick, dangerous forest her home had sported many huge creatures whose pelts were used to create the durable tents the citizens resided in.

Makani felt her heart rise in her throat as the island came into sight. She wondered if being closely related to the chieftain of her island would earn her any special privileges or if she would be hard pressed to find a meal and a good night's sleep.

Either way, she pressed onward to the island, nursing a small hope that Maui would be here and she could quickly return to Gramma.

Makani gasped in realization. Of course! Being the granddaughter of the very woman who had populated this island should be more than enough to win her favor. She clutched the tiller tighter, as if that would make her boat move faster through the gentle waves.

As she grew closer to the island, she saw a few people milling about on the beach, watching her approach. The closer she grew, the more people came from a small path leading up to the village to watch her arrival.

She rehearsed what she would say in her head. _Hello. I am Makani, granddaughter of Moana. I need to speak with your chieftain_.

Her boat bumped against the sand of the beach and she hurriedly disembarked, tugging her boat up the beach. No one came to her aid and she felt her spirits sink slightly.

 _They're probably just wary of strangers_ , a small voice comforted her in her head. _If they're related to the people on your island, they must be friendly and understanding_.

Makani turned and found herself face to face with a girl not much younger than she was, about twelve years in age. The girl was obviously doing her best to be intimidating, but her scrawny form and wild hair undermined her efforts.

"Hello," Makani started, her voice trembling slightly. She cleared her throat and spoke louder to erase the tremor. "I am Makani, granddaughter of Moana. I need to speak with your chieftain."

She was mentally congratulating herself for remembering what she wanted to say when the girl spoke. "You're looking at her."

Makani stared, eyes wide. " _You're_ the chieftain?"

"I am the chieftess of this island. These are my people. Who are you?"

Makani took a step back, confused beyond measure. "I - I said. I am Makani, granddaughter of Moana."

The girl snorted. "Moana. Sure. And I'm Te Fiti."

Makani was taken aback by everything about this girl. Her rudeness, her youth, the fact that she ruled the silent, stony-faced people that surrounded them, and especially her disrespect for a goddess through causal use of her name. "Truly, I am. I have been sent here - " Makani glanced around, acutely aware of the islanders listening to her every word. "Is there anywhere we could talk in private?"

The girl hesitated before nodding, turning, and striding away without another word. Makani hurried to follow her, heart beating quickly. This was much worse than she had imagined. Something had happened on this island, something that made the people cold and unfeeling. Something that put this eleven or twelve-year-old in charge of an island.

Sure enough, the chieftess' house was made of wood and stone. It looked squat and ugly, but much more durable than the animal skins that Makani's people used.

The girl crossed the room and sat in a chair made of stone. She crossed her legs and snapped her fingers twice. A woman hurried to her side and offered her a bowl of coconut milk without ever meeting her eyes. The chieftess drank, eyes never leaving Makani as she looked around.

The room was extravagant. Flowers were hung from the ceiling to dry them. Men and women sat at attention against the left and right walls, staring straight ahead blankly. Each of them held a different kind of food, drink, or novelty. _Does she have a different number of snaps for each of them?_ Makani wondered, then shook her head slightly. This felt even worse than the fact that the chieftess was a preteen. In Makani's village, the islanders were equals. The only thing separating the chieftain and his people were the nicest tent and his power in decision making. Otherwise, his children played and learned with the other children, his wife worked with the other wives, and he told stories around a fire with the other islander men. He would never dream of making his people do his bidding and answer his every beck and call.

Makani tried to hide her dismay and wondered if it would be best to simply continue to the next island and sail through the night. Surely she could go one night without sleep, if it meant escaping this island...?

"What do you wish to discuss?" the chieftess asked.

"I - I'm looking for someone," Makani stuttered, unsure if she was to share Maui's identity with the room full of these servants.

"Who?"

"His identity is very private, Chieftess. I'm not sure if I - " Makani gestured helplessly to the walls of servants.

"Oh, it's fine. If any of them blab, I'll have them executed," the young chieftess said casually, raising her voice so that it seemed as though she was addressing the servants even as she challenged Makani with her stare.

"Oh...okay. Um, I'm looking for a demigod. Maui?"

The girl stared at her for a moment before cracking a smile. "You must be joking."

Makani pressed her palms together, unsure of how to respond.

The chieftess stopped smiling as abruptly as she had started. "You're serious."

Makani nodded, unable to speak. The little girl intimidated her, as much as she hated to admit it. She must have done something awful if all of these people agreed to serve her.

The child chieftess lifted her chin slightly and shook her head. "I'm afraid we can't help you. I'm surprised you still believe the stories."

"What stories?"

"The legends of the gods, Makani!" The child stopped as Makani flinched at the use of her name and a slow smile crossed her face, looking like she was a predator about to make its kill.

"I was sure you'd have figured it out by now. The gods don't exist."


	4. Chapter 4

Makani stared at the chieftess in pure shock. What was she saying? Did she not believe in the gods?

"You're looking a little pale, Makani," the chieftess said, smiling slightly. "Can I help you any more or are you going to leave us in peace?"

 _Do not let them see your fear_. Makani cleared her throat and said, "I would very much appreciate whatever supplies you could spare. I - I have quite the journey ahead of me. And...could I possibly spend the night here? I am not skilled enough to sleep on the sea."

"You seem very calm for a girl who traveled across the ocean to find a demigod, only to discover that he does not exist," the chieftess said, her smile fading. Makani realized what was happening. The girl wanted her to be angry or sad or afraid. She wanted to have that power over her. Makani knew now more than ever that she could not let that happen.

"I understand that people have different beliefs," Makani said quietly, although she didn't. "I understand, and I respect you and your people."

"Where did you say you come from?" the child chieftess asked, and it felt like all of the air had been sucked from the room. Makani's heart told her to not give her people's location to the girl so easily. Something was very wrong here.

"I - I didn't. Um, just a little island. There aren't many people." _Please don't be interested. Please let it drop._

No such luck. The girl's eyebrows raised. "Interesting. Not the home I would envision for the great Sea Queen herself."

Makani was familiar with the nickname for her gramma. "Oh, she just came to live there in her old age. She is quite old, after all." The lies rolled off of her tongue so easily that Makani was appalled at herself. In almost any other situation, she would have prayed to the gods for forgiveness, but she knew they would understand. The gods were forgiving like that.

"And why are you seeking out a demigod?"

That was easy. Gramma had helped her piece together enough half-truths to fool anyone. "My gramma is nearing death, and she wishes to speak to the gods. Of course, she is too old to make the journey, and Maui is a demigod for the people. Moana hopes he can serve as a bridge between her and the gods, so she might make her final amends."

The chieftess shrugged. "Fine. I guess the old crone's really losing it in her old age." She peered closely at Makani, gauging her reaction.

Makani hid her fury, taking a deep breath and forcing her face to remain calm. What she would really like to do was punch the arrogant child in the face, but on this strange island, she wouldn't be surprised if that meant death.

The chieftess grinned. "I am Sachi, by the way. Chieftess Sachi. We will give you supplies and you may sleep on the shore. I would prefer you not poison my people with your backwards thoughts."

"Thank you, Chieftess Sachi," Makani said immediately, dropping to the floor in a bow. She stayed in that position for a few seconds, to get her anger under control. Why was Sachi purposefully trying to insult and anger her? Was she _hoping_ to get attacked? What did she have against foreigners?

Makani wondered what horrors had unfurled on this island to make a cruel child chieftess of a submissive people. Much had changed since her grandmother had populated the island.

A man stood from his position against the wall and took her arm. She flinched at the unwanted contact and the man shot her an apologetic smile. He led her quickly from the house and toward the beach.

Makani wondered if she dared to ask the man the questions she would never dream of asking Sachi. It turned out that she didn't have to, as the man spoke first.

"You reacted very well in there. You handled the chieftess exactly as you should have."

"I was just trying to control my temper."

"The chieftess..." The man glanced fearfully around and lowered his voice. "She is a frightening girl. She has done many bad things?"

"Like what?" Makani breathed, but the man merely shook his head. "Please, you can trust me."

"I know. You still worship the gods." Pain crossed the man's face. "We are forbidden to because she does not believe."

Makani snorted with indignation. "How did she rise to power?"

"She killed her own father. Poisoned him. And some...some would whisper about her in the streets. Share how they felt about a demon child ruling us. They soon fell dead as well, from the same thing that our kind chieftain suffered from: poison."

"She _poisoned_ her own father?" Makani was too taken aback to say anything else. This truly was an island of terror.

The man nodded. "I swear it is true." He then fell into silence and Makani felt that he did not wish to be bothered with more questions.

They were silent until they reached the beach. Then, as Makani was checking her boat and supplies, the man hissed, " _Go_."

"What?"

"Go. You do not want to accept the supplies of a poisoner, especially one who scorns your belief and grandmother. Go now, before it is too late. I wish you the best of luck in your quest. Please, tell someone of our plight. Please."

Makani rested a hand on the man's shoulder. "I will. I promise." She readied her boat and began pushing it into the water, all too glad to be free of the terrifying island.

As she sailed away, she turned to wave on the man on shore, but he was gone. It made sense - he didn't deserve to suffer for her escape - but somehow, it make Makani feel even more alone.

She turned to the sea and swore that someday, she would find a way to help him and his people.


	5. Chapter 5

Makani felt that she was off to a bad start, to say the least.

The very first island that she had discovered turned out to be run by an insane, murderous preteen. Had her gramma ever envisioned this end for one of her colonies? Did she already know somehow?

Makani resolved that, if asked about it, she would lie to her gramma. Gramma didn't need to be burdened with any feelings of failure as she crossed over to join the gods. She deserved a peaceful death, after all she had done and gone through.

She was still very shaken with her encounter with the island. She could not focus as she sailed toward her next destination. At least she was being blessed with clear seas - for now. Makani was not experienced enough to tell if the grey clouds on the horizon were bad news or not, but she would very much like to reach the island before she discovered firsthand.

 _Surely I've seen the worst_ , she thought, and the thought heartened her. _If I've seen the worst, then I've gotten it out of the way, and the best is still to come!_ Hope renewed, she pinned the slightly waterstained map to the deck with her knees and sailed accordingly.

Again, boredom began to set in. Makani had expected this to be a great adventure: sail across the sea, find the demigod, and return home a hero in Gramma's eyes. There was a lot more of the first part than she had bargained for. How had Moana stood it?

But then, if her gramma's story was completely true, she hadn't sailed alone for that long. Only about a day. Then her boat had crashed and she found Maui. Makani was nearing the end of her first day and hoped that her story would turn out like her gramma's - with much more excitement than this crushing boredom.

She wondered if her parents had discovered her absence. Of course they had - she had missed supper with the tribe. Her stomach rumbled and she sighed, reaching into her supplies and pulling out a coconut. "Bottoms up," she said to the sea, and cracked it smarty against the mast of her boat.

Once her hunger was sated, Makani felt a little better. She tried not to think about her parents, worrying. Her gramma, dying. The man she had left on the island, terrified.

Makani felt a heavy weight on her back that came from the promises she had made, and she thought of how strange it was that a thing born from trust and caring could be so painful to carry.

Later that night, after the sun had sank below the horizon and stars decorated the deep velvet of the sky, Makani thought she saw the island.

It was hard to tell, of course, because of the dark, but a shape loomed on the horizon, blocking out stars. If it wasn't an island, Makani didn't know what it could be, and according to her map, this was the island she wanted.

Makani packed away her things, making sure the map was safe and secure, before focusing directly on the black shape. It still took the better part of the next hour to reach it, but when she did, she found that sure enough, it was an island.

Makani wasn't sure what to do. At the previous island, it had been daytime. There had been people working on the beach to see her approach. Now, everyone would be asleep. Hopefully at least one restless soul would be wandering the beach, as she had done when she was younger.

Makani smiled fondly at the memory. She had had trouble sleeping when she was younger, so she would sneak out of her tent and make her way down to the beach to watch the waves roll in until she felt sleepy. Her gramma had been the one to discover this habit, but only because she did the same thing. Gramma just went down to the beach later at night, but she came earlier one time and saw her granddaughter, hugging her knees to her chest and staring out at the ocean.

Gramma had just smiled and laughed. "You remind me of myself," she had noted, taking Makani's hand and leading her back to her tent.

That didn't solve Makani's sleeping problem, but now she had someone to visit the beach with. Eventually, she had found the problem gone, and sleep came easily. Many a time afterwards, she had wondered if her gramma still visited the beach at night, staring over the endless sea. Makani felt too shy to ask, however. Night was a different world. Everyone had a mask of darkness. It was easier to be honest and ask strange questions. Makani felt that speaking of their nighttime habits during the day would break some sort of unwritten rule, and so she remained silent.

Now, she hoped for somebody to do the same tonight. She sent up a quick prayer to the gods for her smooth arrival at the island and sailed toward their beach.

When her boat hit sand, she got out and pushed it up onto the beach. With wet legs that were slowly getting covered with sand, Makani walked a little ways up the beach and hesitated. She could not tell where the village was, and even if she could, did she want to take the chance that they would be kinder than the last island's people? Maybe it would be better to remain with her boat and wait out the night...

Makani sat down on her boat and settled in. Before she knew it, the world was darkening, and sleep slipped over her, as stealthy as a hunter.


	6. Chapter 6

Voices hung over her, whispering fearfully. "Do you think she's dead?" one of them asked quietly. The voice obviously belonged to a child, much younger than Makani.

"What? Don't be foolish," said a slightly older girl who sounded a few years younger than Makani. "Didn't you see her shift her arm just now?"

They fell silent and Makani dared to open her eyes.

The little boy shrieked slightly and the girl gasped, "Oh!"

The boy was about six or seven years old, with long, shaggy hair that was held back into a ponytail. He was dressed in nothing but a loincloth. The girl was very tall and skinny and had large eyes so that she looked slightly like an insect. Her hair was short and rugged, barely falling to her chin. She had a hairband pushing the tangles out of her face.

Makani yawned and sat up. "Hello," she said, throat hurting. She turned and rummaged through her supplies until she had found a flask of water. Once she had drank enough to parch her thirst, she tried again. "Hello. I am Makani, granddaughter of Moana. May I speak with your chieftain?"

The children exchanged an awed look. "You're the granddaughter of _Moana_?" the little boy asked incredulously.

Makani sighed in relief. These villagers obviously knew how to respect her gramma. "Yes, I am. I need to speak with your chieftain."

The boy and girl exchanged another look. The girl cleared her throat and introduced them: "I am Lulani. This is my brother, Akela. I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you can't speak with the chieftain."

"Why not?" Makani asked, heart sinking. Was this another strange island with a chieftain who thought themselves near a god?

"He's very sick," Akela explained. "Has been for days."

"We have a bad disease on our island, and the adults are all in the village trying to fight it. The children live down here," Lulani explained further as Makani clambered to her feet. "Only one child got infected, and he's in the village with the adults."

"How long has this disease been going around?"

"Ever since one of our coconut trees got sick. The coconuts are poisoned, and once you're sick, the sickness is transmitted by touch."

"I'm sorry. Um, where do the children live?"

"Right here, in the forest along the beach," Lulani said matter-of-factly, gesturing to treehouses that Makani had been unable to see in the dark. "These used to just be our playhouses, but now we live here."

Makani looked around the beach for the first time. She saw that it was filled with children, playing in the waves, wrestling in the sand, or caring for each other. A few were even readying a boat and fishing equipment.

"We don't have very good fish to catch here," Lulani shared, "but we have no choice. We are not good at telling which coconut trees are infected."

Makani felt her spirits sinking lower with every word. It seemed like she wouldn't be able to get more supplies from these children, which would put her behind two days where supplies were concerned. And she wouldn't get very much rest - if she got moving now, she could make it to the next island by the afternoon. But what if they all had something wrong with them? When they were making this plan, Makani and Gramma hadn't counted on something being wrong with ever island, but so far, that was the trend.

Makani was so busy worrying about supplies that Akela had to repeat his question twice before she heard him. "Makani! Why are you here?"

"Oh!" In her thoughts, she had completely forgotten why she was truly doing this. "I am looking for someone very important.

"I am looking for Maui the demigod."

Akela was chattering endlessly as Lulani led the way into the forest and toward a hill in the middle of the island. "I can't believe you're looking for a demigod! Hey, Lulani, he could get rid of the disease, couldn't he? He could save our island! Ooh, maybe, Makani, when you find him, you can bring him back here first and make him get rid of the disease for us! It's nice living on the beach, but it gets kinda boring after a few days, and it's been a lot longer than a few days. It's scary, too, because you don't know how bad things are in the village. You'd think - just don't touch the infected people, right? But it's hard sometimes to tell when people are infected at first. That's how the chieftain got sick. He hugged his son, but his son's the only kid that got the disease, he just wasn't showing it yet. But then..."

Makani struggled to block out the child's chatter. While at first he had been quietly in awe of her, now he just wouldn't stop talking. "Lulani," she asked, interrupting Akela's stream and sending the child into a pout, "what does Maui have to do with that hill?"

"You'll see," the preteen responded mysteriously, leaping over a fallen tree. Makani scrambled over it easily and winced as her feet bit into a particularly large pebble. Her feet were incredibly calloused from her life on her home island, but she didn't have to trek through strange, painful forests daily. She noted that Akani and Lulani were barefoot as well, and their feet were covered in cuts, bruises, and scabs. _What a painful way to live_.

The trio walked for another hour or so before finally reaching the hill. Lulani led the way to a mossy side of the hill and stood proudly in front of it. "Here we are!"

Makani stared confusedly at the moss. "It's a mossy wall."

"Nope! More than thak!" Akela piped up from behind her.

Tentatively, Makani reached out and felt the moss. It gave slightly and she pushed farther, stumbling into a cave hidden by the plant.

She gasped at what she saw in the faint sunlight that trickled in.


	7. Chapter 7

The cave was obviously once a home. That much was clear to Makani. A huge cot was pushed against one wall and empty, broken barrels and baskets were littered over the floor. It looked like a temporary home that had been left in haste.

None of this pointed to Maui or his location, however. It was the carvings that had shocked Makani.

Makani knew from Gramma's stories that Maui was covered in tattoos showing his adventures. Gramma had later told her, just before she left on her quest, that one of the tattoos involved her own quest that she had gone on so many years ago.

The paintings on the ceiling and walls of the cave were clearly about Maui. It showed his greatest feats, such as pulling the sun across the sky or growing the coconut tree. These paintings were, Makani assumed, just like the ink painted on Maui's skin.

But the biggest one, the one that took up most of the room, was the one that Makani had gasped at.

It was her gramma. Her gramma, as a much younger woman. She was glancing downwards, a small smile playing over her face, her dark hair tumbling to the side in an invisible breeze. She was dressed in the typical wear of a young female islander, and Makani wondered if this was taken from the first time Maui had met Gramma. She doubted it; Gramma would be looking right at him, defiantly staring him down. It was who she was. Not this secretive, smiling girl.

But then again, maybe this _was_ a version of Gramma. After all, Makani hadn't known about a huge, defining event in her life until mere days ago, mere days before her death. Perhaps the Moana that Maui had known _was_ this girl on the wall

Makani had nearly forgotten about Lulani and Akela until Akela said loudly, destroying the mood, "Who's that girl?"

"My gramma," Makani said breathlessly, crossing the cave to press her hands over the hands of the drawing, hanging in fists at her sides. "This is Moana."

"She's pretty," Akela noted.

"Maui lived here," Lulani murmured as if scared of being overheard. "He stayed with us until very recently, and then he left."

"How recently was he here? When did he leave?" Makani demanded, her excitement rising. Even though she had missed the demigod, she could still find him with the help of these two children.

"He left right before the disease set in. He's not very loved on this island," Lulani said darkly. "Most people blame him for the disease."

"But - but why would he make a disease to kill your people?"

"Who knows? Who cares?" Lulani snapped, and Makani realized that Lulani was one of the "most people."

"Did you ever get the chance to speak to him?" Makani tried instead, glancing from Lulani to Akela.

"Oh yeah, all the time!" Akela exclaimed happily, and Makani knew that he was either too young to understand the sentiment of betrayal that his sister held, or he simply didn't share the opinion. "He played with us kids all the time. He told us stories and let us ride on his shoulders and he would turn into whatever animal we wanted!"

Makani thought of the wonder of growing up with a demigod, only to have him abandon her just as she needed him most. She was starting to understand Lulani's reaction to Maui's departure.

"Did he tell you he was leaving?" Makani asked.

"No. Akela and a few other friends of his came here to get him to come play with them, and he wasn't here. These baskets were emptied of all of his supplies and things. His hook was gone. And all of these paintings were here."

"They hadn't been here before?"

"No."

" _She_ wasn't here before," Akela said loudly, pointing to Moana.

"No, Akela, none of them were," Lulani said patiently. "He painted them the night before he abandoned us."

"But that painting wasn't here! When I came to get him and he was gone, that wall was empty!" Akela insisted.

Makani felt her heart beating faster and she glanced around, as though the demigod might be hiding in a corner. "You haven't been back in this cave since Maui left you?"

"No. Why would we?" Lulani asked stiffly. She obviously didn't understand the significance of this painting.

"Lulani, Maui must have been back to paint this!" Makani exclaimed. "Which means something was making him think of my gramma, which means he might have known she was sick, which means he might already be at my home island!"

"Are you going back, then?" Akela asked sadly.

"No, I can't. Just in case he moved on to another island. I need to go now, though. Please, can we go back to the beach?"

Lulani nodded and led the way.

Makani's thoughts were a storm. _This_ had been Maui's home for so many years - roughly fourteen, if she had guessed Lulani's age correctly! But why would he choose to settle down here rather than Moana's island? Why would he stay here for so long when other island needed his help, only to abandon this one just as tragedy struck?

There were a lot of mysteries surrounding the disappearing demigod, and while Makani had more hope than she previously had, there was still a note of despair growing within her.

Perhaps Maui was not the demigod that Gramma had believed him to be. Perhaps Maui had changed.


	8. Chapter 8

"You can sleep in our tree house!" Akela exclaimed happily once they were back to the beach.

"I hope we can spare a few of our fish for you. I will go see," Lulani said, still in a poor mood from the visit to the cave. Makani knew that she was still wondering whether Maui had returned simply to paint Moana, rather than help her or her people. Something felt very off about the entire situation, and Makani wished she could help, but she had enough to do as it was. Her gramma's time was running out, so her time to find Maui was, too. She could only hope that his painting of her was some sort of sign that he was returning to her side. _After this quest_ , she told herself, _I will send our best healers to help these people. And our best warriors and the chieftain to help the citizens of the first island_.

"I'll show you our treehouse!" Akela decided, grabbing Makani's hand and tugging her after him.

The treehouse was a modest building. Makani supposed that if the clan was trying to build treehouses for all of the siblings, they didn't have time to embellish any of them. There were three cots pressed against the walls, only two of which had thin blankets - thicker covers were not needed in the heat of summer. Small chests sat at the feet of two of the cots. One was propped open to reveal a messy collection of clothing changes. Makani could only assume the other chest held the same contents. Other than that, the tree house had one small table with two rickety chairs pushed up to it and was otherwise empty.

"It's very nice," Makani said. A few of the tents in her own clan were this modest, but they belonged to the least important islanders. Her tent was large and had a bookshelf with leather-bound books and a washing basin as well as a bed, a table, and a large chest.

"You can have that cot," Akela told her, pointing to the cot without a blanket. "It gets really warm in the night. You won't need a blanket."

"I know," Makani assured him. "Thank you."

Lulani entered the tree house then. "We will give three fish to you when you leave in the morning. For now, a few of the other children are preparing them."

"Thank you," Makani repeated, incredibly grateful to these children, living alone and with no benefits from helping her. They were merely doing it out of the goodness of their hearts.

"Lemme introduce you to my friends!" Akela exclaimed, peppy as ever. He grabbed her hand once more and led her to the rope ladder. Scurrying down like a little monkey, he waved frantically up at her. "Come _on_!"

"The older children make the younger ones come into the tree houses as soon as the sun has set," Lulani explained from behind Makani. She checked the sky and saw that they had only a few hours of daylight left. She quickly followed Akela down the ladder.

Akela introduced her to a lot of children, their names she quickly forgot as they showed her what their daily life on the island was like. Makani felt embarrassed and overwhelmed at being such the center of attention, but she assumed it was only natural. She was, after all, someone new on this island where the children lived fairly monotonous existence.

When the sun touched the horizon, the younger children began to drift away while the older children rounded up their little brothers and sisters or remained on the beach. Makani saw two teenagers take each other's hands and head for a secluded area in the forest. Another girl began to start a fire while her friend brought her more firewood. Makani wondered if, as an older child, she would be expected to stay up late into the night, spending time with these teenagers she felt so awkward around. Maybe she could feign exhaustion from her journey to get out of it -

"Makani!" Lulani called, running up to her. "Akela's going to sleep now. Would you be okay with staying up an hour or two more, or do you want to turn in early?" Makani could see what answer Lulani wanted from her.

"What would we be doing?" Makani asked, stalling. She didn't know any of the children and she had never been one for making friends. She was closer to her gramma than anyone her own age back on her home island.

"We could just talk, just the two of us," Lulani suggested, and Makani grinned.

"That sounds lovely, Lulani."

"I don't have many friends," the girl confessed as they sat on a rocky outcropping overlooking the sea. The sun had slipped below the horizon seconds before and Makani was eagerly looking forward to the stars appearing.

"Why not?" Makani asked, surprised. Lulani had been so quick to help her and do what she could for her, two wonderful qualities in a friend. She also seemed, when she was in a better mood, a nice person to be around.

"I don't know. I spend most of my time alone or with Akela. Most of the time, I don't want friends, but sometimes..." Lulani trailed off and sighed. "And now this has happened to our island and I'm one of the only children who spends most of their time worrying about their parents dying, so I'm seen as boring because I find it difficult to enjoy myself when my father and mother could be..." Lulani's voice had started to tremble and she stopped talking, clearing her throat noisily.

"I can't even imagine the horror," Makani said softly. Losing her gramma to natural causes was hard enough. Losing her young, healthy parents as well? Makani didn't know if she could stand it. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"Lulani!" she exclaimed, and the girl glanced over at her.

"What?"

"What if, when I returned home to my people, we were to come and bring all the children to our island! Then we could send back healers to care for the adults!" Makani thought it was a wonderful idea, but as the silence between the girls stretched on, she felt embarassed for even suggesting it.

"I suppose," Lulani said sadly, "that our island is truly dying."

Makani blinked, taken aback. She had thought that the children had already come to terms with that. It was obvious that an island with poisoned coconut trees could never support human life for very long. The two communities could merge and become one on the safer island. But perhaps nobody on this diseased island was emotionally ready to abandon the only home they had ever known.

"It is a lovely offer, Makani. Don't think I'm not grateful," Lulani added after another beat of awkward silence. "In fact, I would go with you if you brought back your clan. It's just a scary thought."

"I understand," Makani assured her, although she couldn't, not really. She had never had to face what Lulani and her fellow children were going through. She had never had to face an awful disease or the thought of leaving her home for good. Somehow, though, Makani didn't think she would find it as hard as Lulani did. After all, it hadn't taken very much deliberation at all to decide to sail off to sea on a near-impossible quest for an elusive demigod. Relocation was safer and more sure.

The stars began to appear in the sky surrounding them, and Lulani lay on her back to look at them better. Makani joined her. And, although the girls had barely talked, Makani felt that she had gained a friend.


	9. Chapter 9

After a few minutes of lying there, looking at the stars, Makani couldn't keep from yawning loudly. Lulani copied her and the girls laughed softly.

"Ready to turn in?" Lulani suggested, and Makani nodded vigorously.

Lulani led her back to the treehouse that Akela had shown her and led the way up the ladder. She settled into her cot and Makani tried as best she could to get comfortable in the pile of blankets left for her on the floor. She ended up curled tightly in the center of the nest, a little bit of one of the blankets pulled over her. Somehow, she soon fell asleep.

When Makani awoke, she could not remember the dark dreams that had plagued her as she slept, but the feelings of unease and nervousness stuck with her even as she stepped off of the rope ladder and followed Lulani and Akela onto the warm, sunny beach.

Makani gauged the position of the sun. "I have to go," she gasped, suddenly realizing it was almost midday. She had slept in by so much!

Akela pouted. "So soon?"

"Yes, I have to get to the next island," Makani said frantically, leading the pair over to her boat and preparing it for sailing. "Lulani, could I have those fish that you were telling me about?"

"Akela, go fetch the fish," Lulani ordered, unmoving. As her brother scampered off over the beach, she knelt beside Makani. "Is there anything I can do to help, besides the fish?"

"I don't think so. You've already helped so much." Makani flashed her a grateful smile. "It's my turn. Once I find Maui and take him home, I will send my people to help yours."

Lulani grinned. "Thank you for sailing into our lives, Makani." In an act of kindness that utterly surprised Makani, Lulani pulled her close and hugged her tightly. After a beat of hesitation, Makani hugged her back.

Akela cleared his throat and the two girls quickly pulled away. He handed Makani two tightly wrapped, strongly smelling fish. "You're gonna wanna eat those today, before they go bad," he told her confidentially.

"Will do," Makani promised, placing them gently in the storage area of her boat. "Can you help me push it out to sea?" She moved to stand at the front of the boat, the cool water of the ocean lapping at her ankles.

"Shame we couldn't get you a change of clothes," Lulani said, observing her salt-stiffened clothing. "All of mine are dirty. We wash everything in a river deep in the woods once every two weeks."

"I'm fine," Makani assured her. "We do the same thing back home. Now, help me push!"

The brother and sister took up their positions at the back of the boat and the trio began to push and pull respectively. Soon, the boat was floating in the water, but they continued to push until the water was up to Akela's neck. Then, Makani jumped aboard and grabbed the tiller.

"Thank you!" she called as she began to steer the boat out of the island's gulf.

"We hope to see you again!" Lulani returned while Akela waved furiously and sputtered as a wave hit him in the face. Looking past the two, Makani saw that the other children were gathering on the beach, watching her leave. She stood carefully and waved both hands, seeing some children on the beach wave back.

"I will come back for you," she whispered, the words locking around her heart in the most serious of promises. "I will."

For lunch, Makani ate one of the fish. It was already cooked and didn't taste very good - one side was close to raw while the other was charred and made her mouth feel ashy - but a quick drink of water remedied that.

Makani was feeling hopeful. Maybe the first two islands had been failures, but at least she had been in a place where Maui had been, lived for a decade, even! That was better than what she had received at the first island, which was a twisted little girl and a forbidden escape.

"This is quite the adventure," Makani muttered to herself, scanning the horizon for anything resembling an island.

Something rippled a few feet away from her boat and Makani jumped. Then, she gazed at the water, waiting for the ripples to happen again. _It's probably just a fish,_ she told herself, taking deep breaths and banishing stories of horrible sea creatures from her mind. _It's just a fish, it's just a fish..._

The ripples came again, bigger and closer. Makani prayed to the gods for more wind in her sails and the island to be much closer than it actually was. She felt panic rising in her throat and repressed childhood fears of being lost at sea began to rise, fears she had been ignoring for years...

Something breached the surface and Makani screamed, cowering into herself and readying herself for death.

A dolphin plopped back into the water and, a few seconds later, raised its head above the water. It chattered happily at her.

"Hello," Makani cooed, feeling incredibly foolish. "Why, you're not a scary sea beast at all! Hello!"

The dolphin chattered again and then ducked back underwater and leapt a perfect arc over the waves. Makani laughed and clapped.

The dolphin seemed to enjoy putting on a show for her. It flipped and twisted through the air, sometimes emerging in front of her, behind her, or on her other side. It became increasingly difficult for Makani to pay any sort of attention to her steering.

Finally, however, the dolphin did not surface again. The playful creature had been a welcome break from the monotony of the sea, but Makani assumed that even dolphins had better things to do than entertain bored sailors.

For dinner, Makani ate the second fish and fought down her apprehension at arriving late to the next island.


	10. Chapter 10

The stars were shining full force, the moon was far above her, and Makani had nearly resigned herself to a sleepless night on the ocean when the next island came into view.

Again, it was just a hulking mass on the horizon, but it woke Makani up enough for her to effectively steer the boat once again. She realized that sleepiness and a small boat on the open ocean was a very bad combination.

 _Maybe everyone will be nice and happy on this island_ , she thought hopefully, although a cynical part of her could not believe it.

She soon arrived at the island, sailed into the gulf, and scanned the beach for figures as she approached it. She saw none, but a small part of her warned her to be cautious.

Once she had landed and secured her boat, she stood with her back to the ocean and surveyed the land in front of her. Unlike all of the islands she had previously been to, there wasn't thick brush or trees guarding the paths to the village. Instead, there was a wide, open plain with incredibly tall grass that swayed gently in the breeze. There was also no mountain on this island. It seemed boring to Makani, but strange enough to be interesting at the same time.

On the island's horizon, several lights glowed steadily, unmoving. _The village_ , Makani thought. All she would have to do was cross the tall grass field. The thought alone was nerve-wracking. What creatures hid in the grass, waiting for newly arrived, unsuspecting girls to travel their way? She would be no good to anyone if she was killed in a field of grass, miles from home.

But she had no other choice. She needed a comfortable place to sleep and her boat just would not do. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and waded into the grass.

Nothing grabbed at her ankles or nipped her calves. Courage boosted, Makani moved faster, spreading her arms in front of her to bend the grass and carve a path for herself. She glanced behind her to see the grass springing back up again, save a few stalks that she had accidentally stepped on.

Soon, she reached the edge of the village. These huts were small but looked securely made and comfortable to live in. Makani's heart lifted hopefully. Such a comfortable-looking village couldn't be all bad - could it?

Since the lights in a few of the houses were still on, Makani held hope for a kindly soul giving her shelter for the night. She walked up to the largest building with cheery candles flickering in the window and knocked on the door.

After a few seconds, it was opened by a rather large woman in a grass skirt, her chest covered with a cloth top. "Hello," she said pleasantly, surveying Makani. "Can I help you?"

Makani took a deep breath, quickly running over her words in her head before speaking aloud. "I am Makani, granddaughter to Moana. I come from another island, far away from here. I am looking for someone. May I have a place to sleep for the night, and possibly some food to take on my journey?"

The woman's eyes had widened at Moana's name. " _You're_ Moana's granddaughter?" she breathed.

"One of them," Makani said nervously. At this point, she would either be accepted like a hero or turned away with scorn.

The woman clapped and laughed with delight. "Oh! Oh, how wonderful! Yes, come in. I've someone you simply _must_ meet!"

Makani grinned at the woman's enthusiasm and wondered who the woman could possibly want her to meet. She didn't know that Makani was here for Maui, so it couldn't be the demigod, although a small part of her hoped it was. But as long as the woman was this happy about her identity, things couldn't go too badly.

A cheery fire blazed in the house, the smoke leaving through a pipe that led out of the roof. Still, the room smelled smoky and felt very warm.

Two small children were sleeping wrapped in each other's arms in a pile of blankets in the corner, under a short flight of stairs that led to a small outcropping that looked like it was mainly for storage. Makani wondered how they weren't overheating in the blankets until one of them shifted and she realized that they were both naked, save for cloths tied around their waists and between their legs.

Another pile of blankets lay opposite their corner. It was much larger and neater, so Makani assumed it was for the children's parents.

A safe distance away from the fire, two uncomfortable looking chairs sat, one of which was occupied by a large man who was staring deeply into the fire. At the woman's entrance, he was snapped out of his daze and squinted at Makani.

"Why, hello there, little one," he said warmly, the skin by his eyes crinkling as he smiled. "Another stray, Haunani?"

Haunani shook her head, smiling. "Not this one. She's just staying for the night."

"I'll grab the blankets," the man said, standing and making his way over to the stairs.

Now, Makani was burning with questions. The man seemed very accustomed to his wife bringing strange people into the house. Perhaps just children? Is that what he had meant by _another stray_? And did he honestly have no questions about her?

"Our island is in the center of several islands," Haunani explained, shaking Makani from her thoughts, and Makani nodded as she remembered her map. "More strangers show up here than you would imagine. And seeing as we're the biggest house and we stay up late into the night, people often come to us. Our chieftain has given us the task of caring for any strangers to appear in town, for as long as they need it."

Haunani did not seem put out by receiving this job without discussing it with the chieftain, but perhaps she had and just neglected to share that portion of the story.

"Are many of them children?" Makani asked curiously.

"A fair number of them. Elikapeka and Kilikina were." Haunani gestured to the two children sleeping in the blankets. "Washed ashore amidts a broken boat. We took them in and they've lived with us ever since."

Makani marveled at the kindness of these people as she watched Haunani's husband set up another makehshift bed in the corner of the house left of the door. "There you are," he said, smiling.

"Now, we must talk," Haunani said excitedly. "Konane, you'll never guess who this girl is granddaughter to!"

Konane looked Makani up and down and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm at a loss. Who?"

"Moana!" Haunani said, as though the name had burst from her in a joyous bubble of sound.

Konane's eyes widened. "No," he whispered, a smile spreading over his face.

"Yes, sir," Makani said, unsure as to why this was such a large production. Moana _had_ probably started the civilization on this island, but this seemed a more personal connection to her gramma -

"Moana was my mother," Konane said breathlessly, and Makani could barely process the words.


	11. Chapter 11

Makani stared at Konane for a long moment before blurting out, "You're lying!" Her heart hammered against her chest. _Don't lash out. There's been some sort of misunderstanding and these people are willing to help you. Don't. Lash. Out._

Konane's brow furrowed and he exchanged a worried glance with his wife. "No, Makani," Haunani said gently. "He's not. Do...do you need to sit down?"

"Proof! Where's your proof?" Makani managed, breathing fast. She cursed her emotions for getting away from her, but Moana, having other children? No. Impossible. Makani would know about them. Moana would have told her, or her parents, or her aunt and uncle - _somebody._ What reason would she have to hold this secret for so long? And when had this happened? Makani was terrible at guessing ages, but Konane looked slightly older than her parents or their siblings.

Konane and Haunani glanced at each other once more, this time silent words passing between them, before Konane turned and climbed up the ladder to the crowded overhang. He rummaged around for a few moments before retrieving a small wooden box and returning to the floor with it tucked under his arm.

"Here," he said, handing it gently to Makani. Carefully, almost nervously, she lifted the lid and peered inside the box.

There were letters inside. Dozens of letters in Moana's familiar handwriting. Makani had made her grandmother write her stories when she was little so she could read them late at night, in the comfort of her own tent. And pictures, too, from before her hands had become too gnarled and aching to draw. Makani remembered hanging her grandmother's charcoal drawings from the walls of her tent to give it a more familiar feel. Makani felt tears well to her eyes as she extracted a few of the letters to read. Everything in the box was too painfully familiar.

The first one read:

Dear Konane,

How sorry I am that I wasn't there to see your first steps, or to hear your first word! At least your father is caring for you. I could always trust him. Things on this island are fine. I'll try to visit in a few weeks, under the pretense of checking on your settlement. I trust that your father hasn't told anyone your identity? My children over here are already being treated so differently...I don't want that for you, Konane. I want you to grow up happy, healthy, and normal. I hope, when you are old enough to read, that your father will share with you these letters, written when you were too little to understand.

The next letter was from years later. It read:

Dear Konane,

I am so sorry about your father. Truly, I miss him already. In your last letter, you wrote that it was sickness - what disease? Is it contagious? You aren't affected at all, are you? I will visit as soon as possible. Right now, your half sister is also sick, though not so severely, thank the gods. Maybe someday you can meet her. Them. For now, stay strong. Don't tell anyone who I am. I love you and I trust you to keep our secret.

The final letter in Makani's grasp was from about a decade ago.

Dear Konane,

You have figured it out, then. No, the man who you grew up with was not your father. Your father is much more powerful and much more well known. Your real father is part of the reason that I wanted you to remain sheltered as a child, for what child should have to grow up in such a father's footsteps? You can tell people your identity now, although I ask that you change the secret - now, I want you to refrain from telling people your _father's_ true identity. They can know you are my child, though. Please, now you can visit me. I want to talk to you in person. These rare visits are not enough. My children grow older. My son takes the chieftainship from my deceased husband. My granddaughters and grandsons are growing up so quickly as well. You are already married. Things are happening, changing so quickly. I am so sorry...for everything. I love you, and I loved your father. But I haven't seen him since soon after you were born. Please, come visit.

Makani's hands shook as she replaced the letters. She ran her hands through the other belongings in the box. Necklaces from her island, drawings of her and her cousins, parents, and aunt and uncle. Stories about the gods and demigods.

"When was the last time you saw Moana?" she asked, her voice barely able to rise above a whisper.

"About five years ago."

 _Five years ago_. That was around the same time that Moana's health had began rapidly deteriorating, although it was only in the past couple of years that Makani's strong, brave grandmother had been barely able to walk to the beach and back daily, instead remaining in the village, moving from tent to tent in the special chair her father had built for her.

"So, are you the daughter of the chieftain of your island?" Konane asked, tearing her from her sad thoughts.

"No. His brother." Makani wrapped her arms around herself, squeezing tightly.

"I remember - Moana had three children, correct?"

Makani nodded. "My aunt, the chieftain, my father. My aunt died around the same time that Gramma's - Moana's - health started getting worse."

"When was that?"

"Five years ago." Makani temporarily raised her gaze from the floor to Konane so he could understand that she knew the significance of this.

"And she never...never told any of you about me?" he whispered, obviously hurt.

"I'm sorry," Makani said, her voice also dropping to a whisper. She was starting to get over the pure shock of it, a million questions now crowding her mind. "How did you discover that your father had been lying to you about his identity?"

"After his death, I explored the overhang. My father was never a very open man. I suppose once one has kept secrets of that magnitude for fourteen years, they are not open to sharing much of anything.

"I found a few boxes similar to the one you are holding. They were full of letters, all in code. For years, I searched for the decoding tool, but could not find it. Finally, about a decade ago, I accidentally dropped one of the boxes and it broke open. The key to the code had been cleverly concealed underneath a false bottom. I decoded all of the letters, which went from most recent to least recent. It was only the first letter that spoke of the secret - and of the true identity of my father."

"Who was your father, truly?" Makani asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. _Famous...powerful..._ Someone so important that Moana had insisted that Konane keep the secret.

Konane smiled slightly, dropping his gaze and taking a deep breath. His wife moved to rest a hand on his shoulder, her gaze lovingly supportive.

"My father," Konane said finally, raising his gaze and looking Makani squarely in the eyes, "was the demigod Maui."


	12. Chapter 12

Makani felt light as air, swaying on her feet. She nearly fell, and would have, had Haunani not caught her and held her upright.

"Maybe we shouldn't have told you," Haunani said in a gentle tone which had an underlying current of tightness that made Makani think that Konane and his wife would be having a very serious, very one-sided discussion in the near future.

"I'm fine," Makani said, her voice sounding tinny and distant to her own ears. They were convincing enough for Haunani, however, who released her hold on her. Makani focused on staying upright for a few seconds before moving her attention to her new, pounding headache.

"I have so many questions," she said, staring at the floor. It was easier than searching Konane's face, trying to decide which features he had gotten from Moana and which features had been passed down by his demigod father. A _demigod,_ as your father! Did he have any special abilities, like Maui's giant hook? Was he plagued with wanderlust, as Moana had been? Was he anything like either of his parents? Most importantly, did he know where Maui currently was?

Oh - Makani realized with clarity why her grandmother must have sent her on this quest, why it was so important to her to see a man, a demigod who she hadn't seen in years. She was still in love with him.

So had she ever truly loved Makani's grandpa? Who did she love more, Makani's father, aunt, and uncle or Konane? Makani hoped it was her family, because if Moana loved Konane more, it would mean that she would love his children more, wouldn't it?

"I can answer your questions," Konane said softly, and when Makani raised her head, she found his eyes worriedly searching hers. "Perhaps Haunani is right. Perhaps I shouldn't have told you."

"No!" Makani blurted. "You needed to tell me. And you need to help me find him!"

"Find...Maui?" Konane asked, confused.

"Yes! He's the person I'm looking for! Moana sent me on this quest, she's dying, she needs to see him one last time!"

Konane exchanged a glance with his wife. "Are you sure?" he asked seriously.

Makani let out an incredulous laugh. "Of course I'm sure! Why wouldn't I be sure? Please, _please_ help me find him!"

Konane looked once more to Haunani and then, taking a deep breath, replied, "I don't know, Makani. My mother hasn't contacted me in years, and I have a busy life here." He gestured back to his adoptive children, who somehow had stayed unconscious through Makani's less-than-quiet proclamations.

Makani nearly stomped her foot in frustration but instead struggled to tamper her emotions. "Please," she merely whispered once more. "Please. For Moana."

Konane ran a hand over his face. "I'll think about it," he said finally. "For now, I think you need to sleep."

Makani nearly laughed. Sleep, now? After finding the biggest lead she had been given on this journey? After discovering so much about Makani and Maui? After being introduced to her long-lost uncle? Sleep seemed impossible.

Ten minutes later, she was drifting into a land of troubled dreams.

 _Makani was leaning at her gramma's bedside, clutching her hand. Her gramma was dead, somehow she knew that, but her mouth fell open and a few last words trickled out. "Find Maui. Find Konane. Bring Konane to me."_

 _"But Gramma," Makani said, "don't you love me more?"_

 _Her gramma crumpled into sand, sand that rose, flooding her gramma's tent, filling Makani's nose and mouth and covering her eyes. She choked, dying, gasping for air when there was only sand._

 _Then she was in Konane's hut, clutching one of his children. "They are quite young," she told him like it was a compliment. Konane just shook his head and said, "Yes, but they are not Maui."_

 _"What do you mean?" asked Makani. "Why would your children want to be Maui?"_

 _"I want Maui," Konane said in a voice that sounded like Makani's youngest cousin's when something wasn't going his way._

 _"Help me find him," she urged. "We can find him together."_

 _"Rest, rest, rest," Konane chanted, grinning and spinning into a large hawk, one that filled half of the hut and had to bend its neck to keep from bursting through the roof._

 _"Maui!" Makani screamed. She woke the child in her arms, whose sobs joined her screams._

Makani woke with a beating heart. Her dreams had been utterly nonsensical and disturbing, but Makani still felt like there was some message in them that she was missing. Shaking off the uneasy feeling, she realized that the sobs of the child had not been in her dream. The child was sitting upright in the pile of blankets, eyes screwed shut, crying its little heart out.

Makani glanced around the room, but its parents were nowhere to be seen, nor was its sibling. She padded over to the child - a boy, and stroked his hair gently, nervous that her strange touch would further upset the child.

Quite the opposite. The little boy reached up his arms to be held, sniffling pitifully. Makani picked him up and sat against the wall of the hut, taking comfort in the small bundle of warmth in her arms. He nestled his head under her chin and yawned, soon slipping back into a peaceful slumber.

There Makani sat for several minutes before Konane, Haunani, and their daughter returned. Haunani smiled proudly at the sight of Makani and her son as Konane put his daughter to bed.

"We were on a walk with Zuzani," Haunani explained in a whisper, gesturing to her daughter. "She has a lot of trouble sleeping. Usually, Zion has no troubles. He sleeps like the dead."

"I think I woke up because I heard his crying. It was in my dream," Makani explained, stroking the child's black curls.

Konane bent down and carefully extracted his child from Makani's arms. She missed his soft warmth almost instantly, but did not protest. She stood, feeling out of place and awkward as the parents put their children to bed.

Konane took her shoulder and led her aside once Zion was settled in. "I've been thinking about...our discussion..." he whispered, "and I have decided that after I answer whatever questions you might have, I would be willing to come with you."

Makani suddenly thought back to her dream, to the words her gramma had said. "I also have an idea," she replied softly. "To why Moana insisted on this trip."

"What's that?"

"What if she sent me to find you? What if Maui is just an added bonus? What if you're the real reason I'm going on this quest?"

Konane opened his mouth to respond but Makani wasn't finished. "After all, I didn't know about your existence. None of us did. In sending me to find Maui, Gramma must have _known_ I would meet you, and since I would be announcing myself as Moana's granddaughter, you were sure to trust me and tell me your story. My gramma is a genius - I wouldn't put it past her."

"So are you suggesting that we give up the search for Maui?" Konane asked incredulously.

"No - not at all! I think you should both be there when - when she - " Makani took a deep breath and raised her eyebrows in lieu of saying the word "dies."

Konane nodded, thinking hard. "Okay. I know a few places we could look for Maui, the most likely of which is only about a day's journey from here. We'll set off as soon as the sun rises."

Makani nodded. "Sounds like a plan." She grinned, returning to her pile of blankets to sleep the last few hours of the night away. Finally, she was making real progress!


	13. Chapter 13

The next few hours before sunrise were torturous. Makani could not find sleep and had to content herself with staring at the wall of the cabin and thinking up possible scenarios for her reunion with her gramma, a long-lost uncle and Moana's old friend and love in tow.

Maybe Moana would be too sick to realize what was happening.

Or maybe she would accept her old family back into her arms with love and tears of joy, Makani a hero in her eyes until she died.

Possibly, she would be angered that Makani had found her secret son. Perhaps she had wanted him to remain a secret but, in her old age, forgot that Makani's journey would lead her right to him. Perhaps she never wanted Makani or anyone besides Konane to find out about her affair with Maui.

Or maybe she was already...

 _No_.

Makani could not afford to think that way. She could not afford to think that this entire, magnificent, terrifying journey had been for nothing. She would find Maui so that Gramma could say goodbye. She would introduce Konane to the rest of the people on her island so he could have an even larger family. She would explain the dire situations of the other islands to her people and she would get them help.

Makani would be a hero, just like her gramma. She would follow in Moana's footsteps and become a true adventurer. It was what she had wanted since the first day she sat upon Gramma's lap and listened, wide-eyed, to her tales of grandeur and quests.

Maui was the key. This, Makani was sure of.

This led her to thinking - how had Moana and Maui fallen in love? She understood Moana's feelings, of course. She was human, after all, and from the stories, Maui had been quite attractive and had a much better character since his quest with Makani's gramma. But Maui? He was an all-powerful demigod! He had been roaming the oceans since before islands existed, let alone humans! How could he fall for a human who would inevitably die in what would surely be the blink of an eye to him? Did he truly feel things just like a human?

If so, had he ever fallen in love with anyone else? Was he currently in love? Is that why he had been missing for years, because he was hiding with someone he truly loved?

But then, did he still have feelings for Moana? Wouldn't he have sought her out if that was the case?

All of these questions, each leading to at least five more, swirled around Makani's head, and she hypothesized their answers as best they could. But by the time Konane bent to shake her awake and found her eyes wide open, she was no closer to understanding anything about the situation.

And Moana's failing health had them on a time limit. Soon, the answers threatened to be lost unless Makani and Konane could find Maui.

Maui was the key. It was the only think Makani was sure of anymore.

Haunani sent them off with hugs and food. She and her children waved them off from the beach as Konane steered them out of the island's gulf. Makani returned the wave, her arm bending back and forth until it ached and she was forced to lower it.

Konane was a much better sailor than she was, so she allowed him to steer the boat. He also knew where he was going and seemed much more sure of his success than Makani had ever felt while sailing to his island or any of the other ones.

"Tell me of your travels," he said after a few minutes of silence.

Makani thought. "Did you know that the other islands, the ones between mine and yours, are in trouble?" she asked.

Konane's brow furrowed. "No. How so?"

So Makani told him the stories. Of how she had arrived on each island, hoping for help and a kind adult to talk to, only to be denied the opportunity each time. She told him of the child cheiftess who kept her people as servants rather than comrades. She told him of the children exiled to the beach by their dying parents and guardians. She told him of her promises to help their people as soon as she had found Maui and returned to her own island.

Konane was silent for a long time after receiving this information. Finally, he said, "This is news to me. We are not a very outgoing people. In fact, I don't know the last person to have left this island. Much more often, people come to us."

"Your children," Makani recalled.

"Yes," Konane said. "My children. And you."

Makani nodded. "Konane," she asked, "did you ever visit my island?"

"No," Konane said softly. "My one greatest regret. I was angry at my mother, and confused. I was working through a lot of things and then my children started to age and I had to care for them and work for the people on my island...I kept saying to myself, over and over, 'next year. Next year.' Next year never came."\

The sorrow in his voice pained Makani. She rose and lay a hand on his shoulder. "Once we find Maui, we will return to my island and you can meet my family," she told him firmly. "You can meet Moana again."

"That sounds wonderful," Konane said gently. "Oh, I surmise that this isn't at all what you were expecting when you sailed out of your gulf!"

Makani laughed. It did seem funny, all of a sudden, how drastically her life had changed over the span of a few days. It felt like months ago that she had viewed her gramma as an uncomplicated heroes. "I suppose even heroes make mistakes," she mused out loud.

"Do you mean yourself, or Moana?" Konane asked with a teasing tone in his voice, but Makani was taken aback. Did he truly consider her a hero?

"I would hardly call myself a hero," she pointed out. "I was referring to Moana."

"You mean to say I was a mistake?" Konane teased, grinning with mock offense.

"I meant hiding you from us all these years," Makani explained, the joking tone gone from her voice. "We would have accepted you and loved you. We still will."

Konane smiled fondly down on her. "I hope so, child. I hope your family is just as kind and goodhearted as you."

Heart lighter, Makani sat down and felt the spray of the ocean on her face. She felt hope rising in her, a huge bubble of it that made her grin giddily and shiver slightly.

 _Maui is the key_.


	14. Chapter 14

The next island Konane and Makani came to was deserted.

Konane docked the boat effortlessly and hopped out, offering Makani a hand to help her down. She didn't need it but took it out of politeness.

The duo looked around the beach. There were no boats to be seen, and this beach was not clean like previous beaches. On Makani's island, some children got the chore of cleaning off the beach so the busy fishermen could walk around without having to worry about their unprotected feet. On this beach, that was obviously not the case. Dead fish, driftwood, and seaweed littered the length of the sand and as Makani and Konane started toward the strip of trees that looked thin but through which nothing could be seen, they had to watch the ground carefully to avoid stepping on anything disgusting or painful.

When they made it to the line of trees, they pushed hurriedly through, silently praying to the gods that a village would be awaiting them.

One was. But it was not at all what they had expected.

This island was obviously deserted. Most of the houses were in absolute ruin, beyond the point of repair. A well for clean water was covered by its roof, which had caved in.

Konane grabbed Makani's shoulder as she hesitantly started forward. "Don't," he hissed.

"What?" she whispered in reply. "It's deserted."

Konane pointed to a large hut that was colorfully decorated. While the roof needed to be re-thatched and the colors were faded, the building looked like a palace for the gods compared to the other buildings. Someone had been taking care of it.

"So someone's living here all alone. They can tell us what's happened to everyone else!" Makani pointed out after a moment.

"Makani, don't you find it at all suspicious that someone is living here all alone with nobody else in sight?"

Makani paused, thinking. Then her brain made the connection that Konane's had instantly made. "Oh. _Oh_." Did Konane truly believe that whoever still lived on this island had been responsible for the disappearance of the others?

Suddenly, the door to the large hut started to creak open. With lightning reflexes, Konane grabbed Makani and shoved her behind the well. He ducked behind a tree.

Makani dropped to her knees, pressing her back against the well. She leaned ever so slightly to the right, trying to peer around the edge of the stones and see the figure emerging from the only hut that wasn't dilapidated.

A large man stepped out. Makani could not make out any of his features because he was turned away from her, but his hair was to his shoulders, black and curly. There were markings on his skin, tattoos - many of the men and even some of the women in Makani's tribe had some. It was rumored that Moana had one on her stomach.

Makani's breath caught in her throat as he turned and started toward her. She whipped her head back behind the well, hoping desperately that she had not been seen.

She could feel the vibrations of the huge man's footsteps getting closer and closer. Her heart was beating so fast and hard that she was sure he could hear it. She couldn't breathe.

The caved-in roof of the well was suddenly thrown on top of her. Her first instinct was to push the musty old thing off, but her second, smarter instinct made her curl into a smaller ball underneath the sudden protection.

There was a creaking sound, a splash, and then another creaking sound. The man was drawing water. There was a slurping sound as he drank and then he said, "It's been a long while since I had guests. It pains me that you would try to hide from me when you haven't even met me yet."

Makani's heart stopped. Then it started up again, faster than ever before.

The footsteps vibrated their way over to her and lifted off the roof that had been her cover. "Boo," the man said, grinning.

This close, Makani could clearly see not only his large lips, broad nose, and hazel eyes, but also his tattoos. Her brow furrowed as she saw the ink spell out familiar stories - the sun being lassoed across the sky, a desperate battle with a gem-incrusted crab, and...

The man turned around to pick up his jug of water from where it lay on the ground and Makani gasped as his hair fell forward and the centerpiece of his back's tattoos was revealed.

"Maui!" she exclaimed, and as the man turned back to her, she threw her arms around his neck.

Maui stiffened and did not hug her back. Makani quickly released him, coloring.

"Who are you?" he asked, squinting at her. "How'd you know my tattoos?"

Konane stepped out from behind the tree he had been hiding behind and walked to stand behind Makani. She could feel the anticipation radiating off of him as he looked, for the first time, at his father.

"Maui," he breathed, and Makani felt his hold on her shoulders tighten. She reached a hand up to pat his arm gently.

"Who are you people?" Maui demanded.

Makani made a qiuck decision. "I'm Makani, the granddaughter of Moana, and this is Konane. He's your son."

"We have a lot to talk to you about," Konane finished quietly.


	15. Chapter 15

**Before we get into this chapter, here are a few answers to some questions that I have received:**

 **\- Is Moana's husband still alive?**

 **Unfortunately not. He died when Makani was little.**

 **\- How old was Moana when she had her kids in your story?**

 **Konane is years older than Moana's later children. She was in her early twenties with Konane, early to mid-thirties with her other children.**

 **\- What is your favorite song from the movie?**

 **Oh, certainly "How Far I'll Go."**

 **\- Who is your favorite character?**

 **From the movie? Heihei :) From my book? Makani**

 **\- Is Moana going to be alive when they return or will they find out that she died early?**

 **Now, this is just asking for spoilers. Naughty, naughty.**

Maui sat across from Konane and Makani. Even though it was warm, the middle of the day, he had lit a roaring fire. It was so large that Makani almost couldn't see Maui's brooding face through the flames.

"So," she said awkwardly after the silence had stretched on for much too long, "Maui. It's an honor to meet you."

"I know," Maui muttered. Makani was taken aback by his lack of modesty until he clarified, "I know you think it's an honor to meet me, that is. It's really not."

"What?" Now Makani was thoroughly confused.

"I used to think I was a great demigod, that's all," Makani said breezily, barely masking the pain in his voice. "Then I found out I wasn't."

"What do you mean?" Makani asked, still not understanding.

"I made a human mistake. For a demigod to do such - it is humbling for all involved." Maui sighed, adjusting his seating. Makani was once again amazed at how huge the man was.

"Was I your human mistake?" Konane asked bitterly.

"Yes."

Makani sucked in a breath and laid a hand on Konane's shoulder. He brushed it off. She felt the snub like a knife pricking at her skin.

"I don't regret you. That's the biggest mistake," Maui said quietly.

"Maui, please. We just have a few questions and - and bad news."

"Start with the questions. I'm sure they're bad news as well." Maui's voice held the pain of a prisoner, a man who had been running for years only to get caught when he was lulled into a sense of security. Makani supposed the feeling was valid - after all, living on an abandoned island obviously meant you didn't want company.

"What happened to all the people on this island?" Makani asked after a moment, deciding to keep it simple.

"They died, long ago. A disease in their coconuts."

Makani hid a smile behind her hand at the phrasing - it made it sound somewhat like the villagers had gotten a brain disease and Maui was explaining it to a child. She swallowed her laughter and asked a sobering question: "Why did you disappear?"

"Which time?" Maui asked wearily.

Makani took a moment to consider this. _Imagine_ , she thought, _trying to vanish over and over, so often that you're not even sure which time is relevant to those who have found you._ She shivered at the idea of that lonely existence.

"I met Lulani. She told me your story," Makani said gently.

"Oh, Lulani. She was a fiery one. How are they all?"

"You disappeared right before a disease struck their island." Makani suddenly made the connection and gasped. "The same disease that came here!"

Maui groaned, dropping his head into his hands. "It came _right_ after I left?"

Makani struggled to remember. "I think so. Maybe even the same year."

Maui groaned again. "They blame me, don't they?"

"Not all of them," Makani tried weakly.

"Lulani blames me. She's that kind of child," Maui said firmly, as if he wanted Makani to tell him how much he was loathed.

"She does," Makani responded, her voice almost a whisper. From Maui's long silence, she wasn't sure if she had been heard over the loudly crackling flames.

"Is that why you have come?" Maui asked, then held up a hand as Makani began to reply in the negative. "No, no, of course it's not. You've come because of Moana. She finally told you what happened so long ago."

Makani and Konane exchanged glances. "Actually, no," Makani said slowly. "Something much different happened. Something worse."

"Is she dead?" Maui demanded almost before Makani finished her sentence. She flinched at his loud, harsh tone.

"You still care for her," Konane said wonderingly.

"What? No! Why do you think I'm hiding out on an abandoned island? To get _away_ from her."

"To get _away from_ your feelings," Konane corrected. "You're scared because she was a human and you were a demigod and she was going to die and you couldn't take that kind of pain. But then she got pregnant and everything got worse, because now you had a _son_ , a son who was half human, half demigod, and that son was going to live for even longer, so instead of just waiting out Moana's death and shoving _those_ feelings into a deep, dark, little corner, you now had to deal with the guilt and jealousy of knowing that your only child was growing up with another father who was not you, loving him and playing with him. So you went to live with other children, hoping they would make you feel better, but instead they made you feel worse - maybe they reminded you of that son you abandoned - so you packed up and moved to this island to wait until everyone was dead and you could just start over. Am I right? Tell me I'm wrong." Konane's eyes flashed with a challenge and Makani's eyebrows skyrocketed at his ability to so quickly put the pieces together.

From the look on Maui's face - what she could see through the dancing flames and shadows - Konane was spot on.

"Let me show you something," the demigod finally said, rising, grabbing a burning stick from the fire, and beckoning the duo to follow him into a back room.

Makani entered first. Maui held the torch aloft, and she gasped at the sight before her.


	16. Chapter 16

**Since a lot of people have been pressing me to update, I update on...**

 **Saturday or Sunday every week. And I do live in America, so those days could vary depending on where you are in the world.**

 **Also, I watched "Moana" again last night, so I am re-inspired! I'll probably update twice this weekend... :)**

As Maui walked around the room, lighting strategically placed torches, Makani could see everything in the room better. What she saw made her heart ache, not only for her gramma, but for the lonely man Maui had become.

The room was a veritable shrine to Moana.

Tapestries hanging on the walls showed her sailing her boat, fighting monsters, and talking to people of various tribes. Pieces of paper holding sketches of Moana's frame fluttered as Maui passed them. Shells hung from the ceiling, the bright, colorful type Makani's gramma loved.

The centerpiece in the room was the best, however.

It was a statue.

The statue showed Moana, pointing into the horizon, a determined look on her face. She was leaning forward, her feet spread just as Makani had been taught to stand when she first sailed a boat with her father. Moana's free hand rested over her swollen stomach, obviously holding Konane inside.

Konane sucked in a breath and Makani reached behind her to grab his hand. She shot him a smile and turned back to the room, drinking it all in. Every drawing of Moana, every sketch and the statue itself, showed her gramma as a young woman, no older than twenty, maybe twenty five. Makani had seen paintings of her gramma at that age, but these pictures showed her in a different light. After all, her lover had created them.

Maui was staring at the floor, taking deep breaths. Makani could sense his pain. Without thinking twice, she walked across the room and rested a hand on his forearm, not quite tall enough to comfortably reach his shoulder.

Maui looked at her. His eyes shone with unshed tears. "You look like her, you know," he whispered. "Your hair and eyes are lighter but you look like Moana."

Makani smiled at him, leaning into him. "Thank you," she replied softly.

"Why have you come?" Maui asked.

Makani took a deep breath. "My gramma - Moana - is dying. She - she sent me here. She asked for you."

Maui's eyes widened and rose to stare at the statue. "Why?" he asked, and his broken voice hurt Makani like a punch in the gut.

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "She still loves you, Maui."

"No," Maui choked. Makani could almost sense the past decades flying across his mind's eye, all of the regret. "She doesn't."

"You're only telling yourself that. Why else would she send her granddaughter across a dangerous ocean when she's never set sail outside of her island's gulf before? Why else would her final wish on her deathbed be to see you once more and not, say, her children?" Makani removed her hand from Maui's forearm and stepped in front of him. "When I was a child, we were told the regular legends and fables, sure, but _you were always there_. I had to depend on my father to tell me the tale of the world's creation, to explain any sort of story that didn't involve you, because if a fable didn't involve you, my gramma wouldn't tell it."

Maui searched her face as if expecting her to break out laughing and exclaim at his gullibility. "Really?" he finally murmured.

"Yes. Why would I lie about these things?"

Maui suddenly snapped into action. He rushed around the room, extinguishing the torches. Makani returned to Konane's side.

"We have to move quickly," the demigod said purposefully, grabbing their hands and running back into the main room. He ripped up a loose floorboard and grabbed the massive fishhook it was hiding underneath. Makani gasped at the familiar, fabled object and Maui shot her a grin. He was positively glowing, obviously thrilled at the thought of seeing Moana again.

Maui thought for a long moment. "I'll transform into different animals and carry you to her," he finally decided. "That'll be the fastest way." He hurried outside. Makani and Konane were quick to follow.

"I can't believe this," Konane muttered as Maui raised his hook. Makani sucked in a breath as he leapt into the air, spinning in circles until she wasn't sure what exact second he had changed from the behemoth of the man he usually was to a huge bird.

"Get on!" bird-Maui ordered. Makani rushed to his side and gingerly climbed into the space between his wings. Konane sat behind her, gripping her tightly.

Maui took off into the air and Makani shrieked, bending forward and wrapping her arms around his neck to stay seated on his back. Konane's grip around her waist tightened and he leaned forward, nearly resting his head on her back.

Finally, Maui's flight steadied. He coasted through the air, beating his powerful wings. Makani brushed her hair out of her face and straightened up. Konane did the same.

She whooped into the wind, laughing in delight. She was riding on the back of a demigod, and she was returning to her gramma victorious.

The plan was going accordingly!


	17. Chapter 17

Bird-Maui flew for hours. He traveled quickly, faster than Makani could have ever hoped to on her boat.

Even though all of this time was spent simply sitting atop the bird and waiting to arrive at Makani's home island, Makani did not become bored. She had the endless sea to watch, the bird's feathers to examine, the clouds to touch, and the sky to scream into.

Occasionally, Maui would let out a terrific screech - that was his warning that he was about to do a trick. At these screeches, Makani and Konane knew to hold on for dear life as Maui swooped and soared up and down, forming hills out of his flight path.

They passed over Konane's island. Konane yelled down, "Hello, family! I'm on a _bird_!" Makani laughed gleefully. She could laugh as hard as she wanted, scream as loud as she wanted, be as happy as she wanted as long as she was flying on Maui's back. The wind erased the memories of it all, anyhow.

They passed over all of the islands that Makani had stopped at during her journey, all of the islands that she had sworn to help. _I promise_ , she told them silently. _After Gramma, you are my first priority_.

After what seemed like decades and the blink of an eye, Maui started to slowly descend, circling over an emerald green island. Well aware that this might be the last time she had the chance to see her island from this angle, Makani stared down at it, drinking in every detail. She noted a dazzling blue pond deep in the forest that - to her knowledge - none of her people knew about. _Strange_ , she thought _, that we could live here so long and still not know all._

They landed on the beach. Makani tumbled off of Maui, unable to stand after so long in a sitting position. Konane had no better luck.

With a flip in the air, Maui turned into a crab. He waddled over to Makani and curled into his shell. She grabbed him and slipped him into her skirt's pocket as what seemed to be the entirety of her island's population rushed toward them.

Makani's mother wrapped her in a hug, sobbing. Her father enveloped them both, kissing their heads. "My girls," he said over and over.

Makani felt a tap on her shoulder and pulled away from her parents to find Konane standing awkwardly behind her. Her father stared at this stranger with a look that could kill on his face.

Makani reached for Konane's hand. He gave it to her.

"This is Konane," she called to her people, raising his hand. Then, quieter and only to her parents: "I will tell you everything, I promise, but first, we must speak to Gramma. Alone."

"We need to speak to Moana privately," Makani told the medics firmly. After a second of hesitation, the woman and man nodded, stood, and exited the tent.

Makani knelt beside her gramma, brushing a lock of silvery white hair out of her face. Her breathing was coming short and quickly.

"Gramma," she whispered. "I did it."

With what seemed to be great difficulty, her gramma opened her eyes. Then she blinked, as if she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. "Makani?" she asked in a raspy whisper.

"And Konane," Makani told her softly, scooting aside to leave room for Konane to sit beside her.

Konane smiled fondly down at the old woman. "Hello, Mother."

"Konane," Moana said with difficulty. Her hand moved feebly over the top of her blanket as if she was trying to raise it. Konane spared her the trouble and grasped her hand, lifting it to his lips before gently returning it to the blanket and stroking her fingers.

"We found him, Gramma," Makani said excitedly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small hermit crab that Maui had become. Setting him down gently behind her, she heard the thump that meant the demigod was human once more. She stood and backed away from her gramma to give them space.

Konane joined her next to the wall of the tent. Together, they listened to Maui's words in silence.

"Moana," he breathed, bending down and kissing her forehead. "Moana, I am so sorry."

"Don't...be." Moana coughed and managed to stem it by swallowing. "I should be sorry. I pushed you away out of fear."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Maui told her firmly. "Moana, I love you. You are brave and beautiful and wise. I'm sorry I let so much time between us get away."

Makani was nearly choking on the sob that she wouldn't let escape. When she looked over at Konane, his fist was blocking his mouth, tears gathering in his eyes as he watched this final exchange between his parents.

"I love you, too," Moana said softly. "Maui, I have to ask something of you."

"Anything," Maui said eagerly. "Anything."

"Take care of Makani. Show her the world." Moana coughed. "My other grandchildren are content to stay here on the island. But Makani is like me. Help her help other. Show her what life can truly be." Moana struggled for a deep breath.

"I promise," Maui told her quickly. His hands folded and unfolded. Makani could sense that her gramma's time was drawing near. Tears streaked down her face as her shoulders shook with silent sobs.

"I love you all so much," Moana told them. She took a deep breath, settled back against her pillow, closed her eyes, and died.

Makani burst into tears. Sobs wracked her body as Konane guided her toward the doorway. Maui was bent low over her gramma's body, his shoulder likewise shaking.

Konane hugged her close when they were outside and she buried her face in her half-uncle's shoulder.

When she pulled away from him, she saw her parents awaiting her. Her father's face was crumpled with sadness and recent tear tracks remained on her mother's cheeks. They held their arms out wide. Makani rushed into them.

Suddenly, her mother gasped and pulled away. Makani glanced over her shoulder and was stopped by the sight that she saw.

Maui was walking out of Moana's tent. But he was not alone.

The spirit of Moana, in the height of her youth, walked with him, hand in hand. Together, they grinned at Makani and started for the beach.

Nobody tried to stop them.

Moana's burial was not a solemn occasion.

People danced, laughed, told stories of her life. Makani was treated like a hero for finding the demigod Maui, and her cousins clamored to hear the tale.

She omitted the parts about Konane and Maui and Makani's love. Some things were not hers to tell.

Finally, she escaped down to the beach. Lying on the sand, she closed her eyes against the burning sun and sighed deeply. Her job was done. Soon, she would have to explain what was happening to the people of the other islands and convince her people to help them, but not today. Today she could rest, and remember her gramma.

A small cough made her open her eyes. What she saw made her fly to her feet.

Maui and Moana's spirit were standing there, watching her with looks of amusement on their faces.

"Ready to see the world?" Maui asked, extending a hand to her.

Makani grinned.

She grabbed Maui's hand.


	18. Author's Note: Farewell!

**Oh my GOSH. Where do I even start?!**

 **When I watched** ** _Moana_** **for the first time, it was amazing. I loved every second of it and hated that it had to end. It is one of my favorite movies of all time, for sure.**

 **I started writing this fanfiction purely on impulse. And yet somehow, it was received SO well! Such massive support has been shown for this book that it is truly inspiring. Thank you to anyone who has ever favorited this book, voted for it, or given a review. I'm sorry that I only update once a week, but you all have been very patient.**

 **I would like to give special thanks to the following users for various things:**

 **charissa sophia de la rosa : for being the first person to comment on my story**

 **anonwriter : for reminding me that I needed to put my book in the correct subcategory :P**

 **hannie : for her OVERWHELMING ENTHUSIASM!**

 **my-secret-garden : for their intelligent, sweet comments that honestly made me smile so hard :)**

 **i love chocolate : because a) they asked good questions and b) same**

 **Of course, I'm thankful to everyone who really supported this book and commented wonderful things. You people are the true reason this fanfiction exists :)**

 **Thank you so much for reading and I have to say, I'm sorry to see this end!**


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